Burgerfest 2013 - Hoffa Bar

This year’s Burgerfest is, unsurprisingly, going to have a lot of burgers on sale. After all that meaty goodness though, visitors are going to be in need of something to quench their thirst. One of the bars set to have a stand providing drinks is Hoffa Bar. Located in central Prague its original and simple interior with a pleasant view from six large windows can’t be found anywhere else in the city. They will be serving plenty of liquid refreshment at Burgerfest.

“We will have cocktails, beer and lemonade,” says Hoffa Bar co-owner Petr. “We did have a burger on our menu but we got rid of it, so we won’t be taking part in the best burger competition.”

This is the first time Hoffa Bar will be at Burgerfest as they did not exist at the time of last year’s event, only opening in April 2013. After being approached about having a stall at the festival they decided to get involved as it provides a good opportunity to let more people in Prague know who they are and what they do. Petr hopes people will come to their stall, enjoy the drinks then visit Hoffa Bar for more on other occassions.

“I guess there will be a lot of ex-pats and maybe some tourists,” says Petr. “After eating a burger having a drink is the best thing people can do. Burgers and beer make a good combination and we have Hubertus, which is made in a brewery 60km outside of Prague.”

Not only is it a local beer but it’s also damn tasty. Served in Hoffa Bar it comes in a frozen glass, adding to the refreshing quality, and can only be found in a handful of other Prague bars. They also offer a variety of high-class spirits from around the globe, either as simple shots or in one of their masterful cocktails, which will be available at Burgerfest.

“There will be Chilli Meloun, which includes homemade lemonade and has a base of vodka, as well as the unique Principal cocktail and others,” says Petr. The bar itself also has a wide selection of quality wines, beer from Kacov, and even coffee from Vescovi. So whatever type of alcoholic beverage required to wash down those burgers, Hoffa Bar’s stand should sort you out.

The kitchen offers fresh lunchtime meals as well as a spectacular evening bar menu. For those who get peckish in the late hours the kitchen is even open until 2am! The name Hoffa itself may not seem particularly Czech, but there is bit of black humour behind its origin.

“Jimmy Hoffa was a really big leader of the Unions in the USA in the 1950s and 60s,” explains Petr. “He was a powerful man and very dangerous. He was co-operating with the mafia and in the late 1970s he disappeared an still hasn’t been found. We named the bar Hoffa because the owners of this building are the Unions.”

Hoffa Bar is also one of the minority of bars in Prague that are non-smoking, mainly because out of those who help set it up Petr is the only one who doesn’t smoke. Having talked about opening a bar for a couple of years they eventually got round to doing it and spent about six months searching for the right place until in Hoffa Bar they found it.

As to the future they are hoping to draw in even more customers after Burgerfest and have a wide range of live music in store. Petr says: “At the moment we have DJs and live bands every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings, starting at 9pm, and entry is free. Next month we will have just as much which is exciting.”